


Stagger, Stumble, Shackled and Bound

by Sashataakheru



Series: Lord Greg and His Boys AU [8]
Category: Taskmaster (UK TV) RPF
Genre: Chains, Crying, Cuddles, D/s, Daddy/boi, Held Down, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, Isolation, Kissing, Kneeling, M/M, Obedience, Punishment, Resistance, Restraints, Slapping, Submission, Time Out, Total Power Exchange, shackles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 07:46:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18464566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashataakheru/pseuds/Sashataakheru
Summary: James' little revenge plots against Alex have gone too far, and James finds himself in shackles, kneeling at the feet of his master.





	Stagger, Stumble, Shackled and Bound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [horselizard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/horselizard/gifts).



> Written in a couple of hours with Depeche Mode's 'In Chains' on repeat, tyvm.

When Greg said he'd put him in shackles as punishment, James had thought he was joking. Then the chains came out. Greg was not, in fact, joking. James hadn't expected them to be so _heavy_.  
  
James closed his eyes, fell down to his knees, feeling the weight of the chains bearing down on his wrists and ankles. Kneeling was ... difficult, which he was annoyed about, because he prided himself on his kneeling. But no, that wasn't what Greg had in mind.  
  
James knew he'd been really bad this time because Greg hadn't even shouted at him. He'd just sent him to his room and forbidden him from leaving for three whole days. Alex was allowed to bring him food, and let him out and supervise him if he needed the bathroom and to shower, but otherwise, he was left alone, and James had hated it.  
  
Alex had glared at him, refused to speak, and handled him roughly every time they met. Even the food Alex brought for him was borderline unpleasant. Alex clearly didn't have the heart to make him eat really gross food, which James thought was weird, but he wasn't in a position to complain, either. He got bad food when he'd been bad, he understood that system, it was fine. It's all he expected.  
  
Sure, perhaps he'd been pushing things just a little too far with his revenge plots. He hadn't meant to upset Alex so badly, he'd - things - it had just got out of hand. Way out of hand. He'd got carried away trying to make Alex look bad, and his last attempt, where he'd made a mess of his uniforms, was the last straw. The cost of replacing them was coming out of his pay, and he'd accepted that. That-that seemed fair.  
  
But now he was in Greg's office, naked, shackled, and kneeling beside his desk, completely exposed. That was the point of it. He'd been gagged too, because Greg didn't want to hear him say anything except to say how sorry he was, and he was very sorry indeed.  
  
Greg smacked the back of his head. James gave a muffled cry at the pain. "You stupid boy. What the fuck did you think that would achieve, hey? Do you think I've never seen this before? That I'm blind to what you're doing? You can't do Alex's job, so stop trying to steal it. I don't need you. I'll go and leave you outside that fucking club where I found you if you try anything like this again."  
  
James didn't try to stop the tears. He knew he deserved to be punished, but there was a tiny part of his brain that wished that Greg would just flog him instead, not humiliate him like this. Bruises, pain, he could deal with that. He felt properly punished then. But this? This felt awful in ways he really didn't like.  
  
He wished he wasn't gagged. He wanted to prostrate before Greg and apologise over and over until he couldn't speak anymore, but all he could think about now was obeying Greg's commands. He needed to prove he was good, that he should still stay here. The last thing he wanted was to go back to the streets, not when he'd discovered how good things could really be. He didn't doubt Greg was serious, either. That wasn't an idle threat. This was his last chance. Fuck up again, and it was back to running cons and scamming money and love from people to survive. He wasn't sure he could do that again.  
  
Greg sat down in front of him then, lifting his chin so James could do nothing except meet his gaze. James had never felt so small and seen before. He was sure his whole body was blushing. He didn't dare look away from him. Greg was so angry with him, and he just sat there, saying nothing, and James wished so hard he would slap him. Hit him. Bend him over his desk and spank him. Just - _hurt him_. Somehow. His body was crying out for pain, to know he really was being punished, and not getting the pain was making him antsy.  
  
Greg roughly removed the gag. James whispered his thanks, and was greeted with a quick slap, which James accepted in silence. The pain settled him. His cheek ached, there was pain now, he felt better. He was being punished.  
  
"What's your problem, James? Why have you spent the last two weeks trying to make Alex look bad? All it does is make _you_ look bad. What's wrong? Don't you feel happy here anymore?" Greg said.  
  
James was surprised by how calm he sounded. James didn't think he deserved calm. He wanted to be shouted at and beaten. He didn't want to sit here _explaining_ himself. He wanted to be hurt. He tried to put on a brave face even though he had no idea what to say to answer Greg's questions.  
  
"I-I don't- please, sir, I just-"  
  
Greg slapped him again, harder. "Don't pretend like there isn't a reason. There's always a reason. You can't manipulate me. You can't outsmart me. I know what the fuck I'm doing. You will explain yourself, James."  
  
"Please, sir. I-I don't even - I'm so sorry, I don't know why, I really don't, I just get these daft ideas and I don't think, I'm not good at that. I'm too impulsive. I just - I just want you to love me, I just want to be loved, but I get - my head gets all confused, I got scared, I just want to be good for you, sir, I really do, but I just - I don't know how. I'm no good. I'm a bad submissive. I can't do anything right. Take me back to the club. You deserve better than me. I can't do what you want me to do. You can't train me. I love this so much, but I can't do it. My brain isn't wired properly. I'm so sorry, sir, I've been such a burden to you, and I ruined your things, sir! I'm not like this, I don't know why I did it, I just got jealous maybe? I don't know, I'm just such a mess, sir, I can't think, I'm so sorry," James said, unable to resist obeying him now as he tried to sort out his head by rambling at his master.  
  
Greg sighed. It was a weary sigh. James knew that sigh. But he was in no position to do anything except sit there and try not to look like a mess. He didn't dare move to wipe his eyes, because Greg hadn't told him he could move. And he was sitting right in front of him. He would just be asking for more punishment if he disobeyed him now.  
  
"Do you actually want this, James? Do you still want to stay here? Because you say that every single day, every single time you're in trouble, how much you want to stay. So why would you sabotage that by fucking up like this? I want to know why you want me to kick you out now. Why would I do that? I can train anyone. _You_ just have to let me train you. Are you going to let me?" Greg said.  
  
"Because - because I don't deserve good things! I've been so bad, sir, I've done so many bad things. You deserve a good boy like Alex, not me. I don't deserve any of this. Just beat me and throw me out. It's all I deserve. I'll never be good enough for you," James said, frustrated, wanting to gesticulate, but too scared now to disobey him.  
  
Greg's expression softened then and he reached up to cup his face, wiping his tears away with his thumb. "If you need to atone, then atone. Don't sabotage your own salvation. No one's a lost cause, not if they don't want to be. Why are you still here if you think you don't deserve to be here? You could just leave. It's happened before. But you're still here. You're misbehaving, clearly, so I have a reason to throw you out, so you can feel like you deserved it. That you weren't good enough. That's bullshit. If you don't want to stay, then don't. But if you want to let me help you, stay."  
  
Greg unlocked the shackles and removed the chains. His expression was one of challenge, as if daring James to leave. Instead, James found himself frozen to the ground, unwilling to move. He didn't want to move. He wanted to stay right here.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought. You want to be here. So stop fighting me, James. Stop fighting Alex. Stop fighting yourself most of all. You are your own worst enemy, I can tell," Greg said.  
  
James didn't know what to do except cry into his hands. Greg was too good to him. He didn't deserve Greg. He deserved - he deserved one of those mean guys he always fell for. The ones who would just use him and hurt him and it was fine. It was always fine. He knew how to deal with that. He didn't know how to deal with being loved. It hurt- James knew why it hurt. He knew exactly why it hurt. Ed had made it hurt, and now he couldn't love anyone ever again because he'd just be abandoned, right? That's what happened the last time he'd loved someone. Clearly, he'd been cursed. It was like out of some fairytale. Anyone he loved would leave him. He was destined to be alone and unloved.  
  
James wanted to fight when Greg pulled him into his arms to hold him tight. He didn't want to be comforted, he wanted to be punished. He'd been so bad. Greg should paddle him until he bruised. It was all he deserved.  
  
"Oh, God, you really are a mess, aren't you? Looks like I've got my work cut out for me. But I've never met a boy I couldn't fix. Let me help you, James," Greg said.  
  
"No, don't, please, just punish me, it's all I deserve. Hurt me, sir. Hurt me. I need to hurt. Make me hurt, sir. I need bruises, sir. Please, sir, please, please, please, sir," James said, still trying to wriggle out of his embrace, but Greg's hold on him was too strong. James couldn't get free.  
  
"You really don't know how to deal with kindness, do you? I'm not going to hurt you, James. I don't think that's going to help you right now, is it? Besides, you're an emotional wreck at the moment. The last thing you need right now is a beating. What you do need is for me to take every decision out of your hands. I will tell you when to eat, when to sleep, when to wake, when to shower, what to eat, what to do. You will follow my schedule to the letter. You need routine, James. You need certainty. You need a strict schedule to show you just what you're capable of when you have to just obey and do nothing else. That's all I want you to do," Greg said.  
  
James paled at the suggestion of giving up so much control. It scared him. But what choice did he have? Greg was his master. If he wanted him to work under such a strict regime, James would do it. "Please, sir, no, I don't - I can't, I-"  
  
"It's not a choice, James. It's an order. I'll bind your hands if you want me to make it very clear that all of this is out of your control. I will tell you exactly what to do and when, and you will do it without question or complaint, until I am satisfied that you're going to behave yourself again," Greg said.  
  
James resisted, could feel his body trying to fight him still, and Greg responded by lying him down on the floor and then pressing him down with his body. James wasn't necessarily about to be squashed, Greg had more control than that over his position, but he was so tiny and Greg was so very large. James could tell it wouldn't take much to crush him if Greg really wanted to.  
  
What it did do was make James lie still and surrender. Greg was gripping his wrists, pinning him down, and his face was so close to his own that he could feel himself submitting to him without even being conscious of it. His body relaxed, his muscles all went limp. Greg had won.  
  
"Stop fighting me, James. There's a good boy inside you, James. I know you can be a good boy. Let me help you be that good boy again, yeah?" Greg said.  
  
"Yes, sir," James breathed, defeated.  
  
Greg kissed him then, and James flinched, not expecting any kind of affection from him. It startled him, and he was sure he was looking at Greg with confusion written all over his face. What had he done to deserve his affection? Nothing.  
  
"One day, you'll believe me when I tell you I love you. Then I'll know I've done all the work I need to do with you. I'll win your heart, just you wait, James," Greg said.  
  
James swallowed. The prospect of loving him, of being loved, terrified him. He knew what that led to. Just when he thought he'd reached peak happiness, it would all be over, and he'd be left alone and heartbroken again. No. He wouldn't let that happen again. His heart wouldn't be so easily won this time.  
  
Greg kissed him again. James felt his heart melt just a little bit. He very much wished falling in love didn't feel as good as it did. Greg kissed him again. Every kiss weakened the walls around his heart. For the moment, he gave in.


End file.
